Diamond in the Rough
by ShiverIntheLight
Summary: Kursed, once the beautiful and venerated Krystal, seeks opportunity and a new life from bounty hunting, reaping large rewards for her efforts. However she is a shamed and flawed vixen, tormented by her past and by her sins. When it matters most Kursed knows she can survive by sustaining herself in her mercenary-like life. However, can she stay that way without feeling happiness?
1. Prologue

Diamond in the Rough

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Starfox characters in this fanfiction except for my own.**

**Note: Since this is my first Starfox fanfiction attempt ever let me know if there are any consistences or anything I may have missed. I am quite new to the Starfox franchise and I would like to know what you think about this story. Thanks. :D**

Prologue- Branded by Darkness

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_Scratch__, ting, scratch, ting. _The sounds reverberate through my soul and my bones. The harsh sounds of friction from a blade. The noise of sharpening and honing. The sound I've associated with my life. _Scratch, ting. Scratch, ting._ These sounds have marred and sliced those foul memories of mine, creating a future for me in which I cannot control. Creating a sense of helplessness and the sheer force to obey in me that spirals in my spirit. No longer can I grasp how I manipulate and form my life. No longer can I live in peace.

What can one say about love? It's an empty feeling associated with desires and words left unsaid. A mass of swirling atrocity and confusion, dawning on a person when they least expect it to do so. Giving the name of mental and spiritual pain a new meaning. Love...I feel it brings inconsistencies to life. People stop and stare at their beloved, not able to discern what has happened to their sheer will or what happened to any of their resolves. Suddenly one loses all plans for the future and begins to make a new life plan around that love.

See here, I've experienced that emotion and feeling over and over until I felt I stood on the breaking point. I reveled in the ecstasies of love, how that one person will give me a look or say something that will bounce in my head long after my eyes have closed for sleep. I'll be honest and say that love has filled me with such hope and optimism and, even now, I still feel it. I can't get over it and yet I deny it access into my heart. At odd hours I can feel it knocking on the door to my soul, implying me to open up and let me become awash in the light.

_Scratch, ting. _Love fades, resolve changes. My heart has become twisted and wrought with fury and anger. My mind has become a chasm full of doubts, full of plans, and full of my past. I can remember a time when four comrades, one in particular, would brighten my day with jokes or love. Love has brought me to meet those four people and stick with them. Love has caused the collapse of my internal control. It has shown me another side of life I never knew when my parents died.

I remember the sounds of distress and pain from my childhood. My telepathy showed me and made me feel emotions unheard of in regular kits. My power matured me faster than most, for I could associate and feel the same way others did, as well as learn from it. Once I set foot on Planet Sauria I knew I had a mission to do. I knew what I had to do.

However, I did not expect love to strike me. A certain fox stole my heart, made the blood rush in my veins at his sheer courage and leadership skills. He had a way with people. They revered him. Trusted him. Loved him. I wanted to become a part of that equation. I wanted to know how it felt to have someone or a whole population of people love me. I started with one person and life became a different entity.

Years passed and I grew happier, if not a slight bit ignorant. I just cared about love and the eternal light it brings. Seeing those four comrades brightened my view on life. It made me feel hopeful of my future and it helped me relieve old tensions and pains from the past.

Two years passed and my relationships grew tighter, hotter, binding, passionate. Most envied me, most desired to be with me. I listened to the people's thoughts and I kept them in mind, knowing the good times might falter if I didn't stay on guard.

Falter they did. I switched loyalties. I couldn't bear to see the pain of another. Another person who fell for me and wished for us to come together. I didn't want to cause him pain, for I knew what that emotion could do. I joined his side and betrayed my team, not knowing how much it might cost me. How much my heart would close and become as twisted as it is today.

Once the war on the Anglars ended my decision had separated me from the love the civilians had for me. At first I ignored it and tried to see life as back to normal. Things changed as they usually do and I found myself in a tight spot. The veneration from the Cornerians faded. The hostile faces of those civilians, the way they'd hiss and snarl at my very presence, warped me.

I couldn't take the pressure, as you can imagine. The angry thoughts and rage bombarded me as I would walk outside. In the cover of the night I fled Corneria and traveled the galaxy to seek out a new home for myself.

The name Krystal died out long ago. No longer am I the shining jewel in the midst of the darkness. I am...Kursed.

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**A/N: So what did you think? I will change the perspective in the first chapter. I write better stories in the third-person perspective. Anyway, I'd like to hear what you think of this short prologue. Thanks for reading. **


	2. Matter of Importance

Diamond in the Rough

**Disclaimer: No characters are mine except for my O.C.s and any other characters without names.**

Chapter One: Matter of Importance

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Kursed ran a hand through her hair, heaving a huff. She looked at the rowdy display in the tavern with a contemptuous glance. Two foxes decided to play rough to prove to their buddies who was strongest. _Stupid men,_ she thought, rolling her eyes. Her tail twitched. She felt restless, anxious even. A matter of importance had set her on edge and she wished to hear it. Her boss, a feline by the name of Tod Handely, ordered her to wait in this dumpy tavern for an important message.

_Better be important for all the idiocy I have to watch._ Kursed lashed her tail, looking to the door of the tavern. A certain smell, the pheromones of masculinity, proliferated her senses. It mingled with the dank smells of alcohol and high spirits. The vixen took her glass of water and downed it without a care. In some past she would have taken a dainty sip around others.

Kursed felt her life missed something, a large part of it involved missions and taking down the baddest of the bad in the galaxy. She dedicated her life to mercenary work, not afraid to come out and say she took on the jobs for bounty hunting. It irritated her when Tod Handely sent her an accomplice to assist when facing a convict whose reputation far surpassed anyone else's. She knew a matter of trust has come between them, the slick feline and the rigid Kursed. _He doesn't trust me yet, another issue I seem to have when it comes to joining beside mercenaries._

Kursed's ears pricked as she heard the chime of the tavern bell ring and her gaze flew to the door. A tall avian with soft gray feathers and deep blue eyes gazed right at her, making his way over with a grin. His name, a title he loved to announce: Screecher. He had a knack for making his voice rise to a high pitch, forcing others to listen to him if they ignored him. He had a way around people and a way around trouble. Usually Tod sent Screecher to assist Kursed during missions, a decision the vixen seethed about. The avian gave her no rest when it came to his teasing.

"Never thought I'd find such a refined vixen in the midst of all this...profanity," the bird said, his eyes alight.

"Shut up," Kursed said, huffing. "Now will you give me Tod's important message? I'm tired of this guessing game."

"Patience, patience, Kursed. Tod has told me the importance of this mission." Screecher took a seat next to her with an exaggerated sigh of contentment.

"A mission." So the matter had an initiative. "Finally!" Kursed said, sniffing.

"Indeed. I'd like to mention that Tod entrusted that I join you on this next mission."

"As usual," the vixen said, but Screecher ignored her words.

"Come with me. I feel the atmosphere of the tavern pounding in my head." The avian stood and held out a wing to her.

Kursed had to smirk. "You of all people who loves to state what you like or don't like without regard for others' hearing is now telling me that brash tavern noises get into your head."

"Sarcasm's a virtue, my dear," Screecher said as Kursed joined his side, refusing his wing.

"Fine. Now tell me about this new mission."

The pair left the tavern, known as the Inky Heart, and traveled, the late night moons glaring down on the land. A wash of metallic buildings rose in every which way in Kursed's sight. This planet, this place she made her home in, sustained her. Planet Koren, a small orange-white colored entity in the galaxy, had become home to a new age of technology and innovation over the last five years. In every city an influx of people schlepped, eager to work and eager to get payments without a care for other people's expense. Planet Koren had no known wild animal life or nature. All that existed? Industry and crime. A strange planet for Kursed, however a suitable one.

Kursed found Planet Koren after traveling from planet to planet, intent on making a home for herself. No other place seemed to pacify Kursed or her dark past except for Koren. However the vixen still dreamed of cities lined with trees, the massive expanse of sky so visible without a building to block it. A world where life and civilians co-existed in harmony. Kursed shunned those dreams as she shunned herself. It never occurred to her that she might miss the planet she fled from, or from her home planet Cerinia. She disregarded any memories and kept them to herself.

"Now Tod explained that this mission requires us to head to the Planet Tankan and arrest someone by the name of Kirk Lightfield. He's an intrepid space explorer who grew insane from his developed ideals. Tod has kept a record of Kirk for years; however the explorer gave no indication that he could cause harm. Now Kirk's insanity seemed to have augmented and he poses as a threat to the Planet Tankan and our home planet, Koren," Screecher said, rubbing his chin.

"What ties does he have with Koren?" Kursed asked, ignoring how mundane her question sounded.

"Kirk Lightfield apparently owns an organization and his members used to meet right here in the city before they moved to Tankan. I believe they called, and still call, themselves the Drastic Groups for Science. "

"Wasn't there a building named the Drastic Groups for Science where Tod and I fought through that skirmish about two years ago?" Realization dawned in Kursed's mind.

"Exactly! The very same place. Although most of the group members of the organization abandoned the building and moved with Kirk to Tankan. That's where the real threat comes into play," Screecher said as he steered Kursed away from a slow-moving group of felines and foxes. "See, Kirk's power grew as more people became attracted to his beliefs. Tod calls them fanatics, which explains everything. The Drastic Groups for Science, or DGS as I call them, want to expand their influence on the galaxy without the other civilian's consent."

"Why? What do they believe will come to them from accomplishing that?" Kursed asked, intrigued and bored at the same time. _Just another insane person for me to catch, right Tod? Why can't you give me missions that deal with the notorious evil people?_

"I believe Tod will explain that to you when we get to his office," Screecher said. "I figured you might have questions about this mission."

"Well, that's because you never tell me what's really important. You always shirk the major details and leave me in the dark." Kursed crossed her arms, huffing.

"I find you look rather stunning when you're annoyed." The avian gave her a mockery of a smile and the vixen forced herself not to smash a fist into his face.

"Don't even start."

The two comrades walked four blocks down and made a sharp left into a dark alleyway, the sidewalk turning into a cobblestone path. A small staircase came into view, leading to a somewhat mangled door with a flickering light above it. The words, Surrogate Mercenary Society, shone with a dim radiance under the light. A stable place, no matter how rundown it seemed.

Kursed could sense Screecher's excitement of the new mission grow after they entered through the door, hearing it slam with a resolute bang behind them. An elevator boy, a small bulldog with floppy ears, inclined his head and opened the elevator doors.

"What floor, sir, ma'am?" he asked as the three of them entered, the doors closing.

"Main floor. Twenty," Screecher said.

The dog pushed the button and the clanking of the elevator rang in Kursed's ears as the familiar rising sensation entered her body. How she hated riding the elevator. It messed her equilibrium and made her feel somewhat nauseous. However it was either that or climb the twenty flights of stairs instead.

Kursed tapped her foot, smoothing down a ruffled tuft of fur on her arm. She hated long waits and the slow elevator's speed pushed against her patience. Once it hit the designated floor a sigh whooshed from her lips and made Screecher grin. He knew how she hated elevators.

"Here we are. Careful coming out and have a good day," the elevator boy said as Kursed and Screecher left, entering a long hallway with five doors at the end.

Kursed began to walk, not waiting for Screecher, heading for the first door on her right. The hallway, lined with pictures of famous mercenaries, shone in the dim overhead lights. Fake plants stood on the floor between pictures and the wallpaper, a washed out-green, and the floor, a toned-down white, looked worn. Tod Handely didn't care much for how his place looked. "_As long as I can sit in a room with a view I don't care what the hell I work in. Let the roaches and rats come for a visit, I don't care." _The boss would say.

The first door to the left led to the mercenary quarters, where Kursed, Screecher, and the ten other members of the Surrogate Mercenary Society slept and relaxed. The second door on the left led to the mess hall, a small room with one cook and three vending machines for any other enrichment and snacks. The third door opened to a storage area, where the mercenaries placed their weapons, knapsacks, and any other important goodies for the night.

On the right, the first door was the one Kursed and Screecher headed to: the Boss's chambers. Upon opening the door a waft of old metal came to the vixen's scent. The whole room, colored silver, glowed, and the windows let in the sounds of the city, the blaring cars, and the skyscraper lights. Two pictures of accomplishments hung on opposite walls of the room.

Near the back of the room, by the window, Boss Handely sat, tail lashing, eyes locked on his computer. His gray and brown striped coat reminded Kursed of a dirtied piece of laundry and his eyes gleamed no matter what time of day. He groomed his fur to perfection, in short he was a completest. His tail's markings differed from his pelt with leopard spots and four splotches of white. He took matters with all seriousness and he showed no mercy to those who disobeyed his orders. He had started the Surrogate Mercenary Society four years before Kyrstal fled Corneria and the Lylat System. She had joined beside him just two years ago, not minding his slick nature.

Tod Handely looked at Kursed and Screecher as they entered, giving them a slow sly grin.

"Ah." He drew the word out, standing and opening his arms. "Welcome Kursed and Screecher." He turned to the vixen." I assume you received the message well, my dear?"

"Not well enough." She snorted. "This birdbrain over here doesn't have the brain capacity to tell me the specifics of the mission."

"Oh stop it, Kursed. You flatter me, you really do." Screecher mocked a pleased expression, then he laughed. "She's dramatic, I tell you."

"Tell me what's so important about this mission with Kirk Lightfield." Kursed came closer to Tod's desk, her eyes on him, ignoring the gesture Screecher made.

"Yes. I have quite a record on that one." Tod sat on his office chair again and rolled overto a metal file cabinet, opening a drawer and fingering through the folders. "You do remember the DGS, correct?"

"Yes. I met you in the same building when you had that trouble with Kirk's associates in the beginning. That's how you came to enlist me under your service."

"Good, good." Tod fished out a folder and placed it on his hazelnut-colored desk, opening it. Three pictures, black and white, of Kirk Lightfield jumped to Kursed's vision. In all of them, the criminal, a fox, had a sardonic grin on his face and he wore a pristine lab coat. Both pictures looked to have been taken years ago. Seeing the insane explorer made Kursed's hackles rise somewhat. She felt uneasy about this person of whom she only heard of just now.

"Now Kirk Lightfield, I assume you know I've kept my eye on him for a while now since that skirmish. Well it seems he wants to follow through with his undone actions. I'm not sure what spurs him, his beliefs, his growing team of fanatics, whatever. What I care about is the fact that what he does harms both our planet and his own." Tod looked at her, his amber eyes piercing hers.

"Can you explain?" Kursed felt sick of all the vague explanations concerning this mission. She began to feel that Tod and Screecher thought her too sensitive to hear the raw full-blown details. It annoyed her.

"The DGS aspires to convert the minds of all people to their fantasy-reality. You recall the original DGS building, with the Conference Room that we fought in, correct? In there the members would sit and talk about their plans, as you can imagine. However they never acted on those plans, rather they wanted to build their base and recruit more followers. Now it appears they have the right amount of followers and they feel brave enough to act on what they never started. Reports have flown like rumors all around the city, telling about how Planet Tanakn may just head for its grave. On report tells of how Kirk Lightfield has devised a new way to convert people. A genocide."

"How would that benefit Kirk? A genocide would just kill off the people he wants on his side." Kursed narrowed her eyes. "Unless..."

"Yes?" Tod looked devious, waiting for her response.

"Unless Kirk wants to start a genocide to instill fear in every civilian's hearts so they have to convert against their will."

"Precisely! Which brings us to what this mission entails." Tod straightened the papers in Kirk's folder. He looked pleased. "He has already started this so-called genocide and his following has jumped in number from the tentative twenty-eight to a stable three hundred."

"So these followers of Kirk might be on Koren as well?" Screecher asked and the boss nodded.

"Yes. This mission I will entrust to the both of you has two parts. First I want the both of you to travel to the original building of the DGS and gather any information the members left behind. Bring them to me. Once you have done that I will explain your motives next." Tod Handely folded his paws, a grin on his face. "I'd suggest you leave now while you have the cover of darkness. Just in case a follower of Kirk's still lingers in that building and has more bite than bark."

"You better not mess up this mission, Screecher," Kursed said, giving the avian a warning look. "This mission may very well cost us our planet if we don't do it right."

"I'm the epitome of perfection, Kursed. How could I fail a mission?" Screecher looked innocent and gleeful.

"You have in the past, Screecher." Tod didn't sound amused. His velvety voice had hardened into pure steel now. "I'd suggest you heed Kursed's warning well. There's no telling what she'll do to you if you don't."

"I'm not afraid of the Big Bad Vixen. Let's go and get this done." The avian chuckled as Kursed's expression changed to sheer anger. "I'd like to make it out of this building alive, Kursed."

"Fine." The vixen threw a helpless glance at Tod, who shooed them out the door with a hand gesture, returning his gaze to his computer.

"Great, now I'm stuck with you again," she said as soon as she closed Tod's door behind her.

"Oh don't get your tail in a twist." His eyes sparkled. "Although I would like to know what you'd do to me if I mess up this mission."

"You might just find out if you don't shut up." Kursed shook her head and stormed in from of him, wanting a head start. She hoped one day Tod Handely would trust her to complete a mission without the need to thrust an accomplice at her, a very annoying accomplice at that. _Perhaps after this mission I'll get my chance. I just have to bid my time and wait._

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**A/N: I will try to update this story at least once a week, if not a few days after each upload. Review if you like and stay alert for the next chapter.**


	3. Chilling Information Found

Diamond in the Rough

**Disclaimer: "..."**

Chapter Two: Chilling Information Found

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The night air swirled as Kursed and Screecher made their way to the abandoned Drastic Groups for Science building. A heavy excitement hung in the air and Kursed could sense it from the common people. She knew why. Planet Koren held a tradition every year to throw a huge celebration for Koren's independence forty years ago. Originally Plant Koren stood under the status of a republic to a planet called Dirkset. Dirkset had a ruler named General Tompkin who took over all the surrounding planets and declared them as his own. Koren, unpopulated and free of crime, attracted explorers and religious persecutors who decided to stay and live there. General Tompkin ruled over Planet Koren with an iron fist, limiting the planet's trade with others in the galaxy, and forced the growing population to adhere to his rules.

Tired of the endless taxes and rules the Korenian people came together to try to overthrow General Tompkin's rule. They wanted freedom from restriction and taxes. One person rose from the ranks of the citizens: Grant Lenningford. He was a bulldog of pure steel with a no-nonsense attitude and a knack for repeating the mantras of deceased great leaders. The Korenians voted for Grant Lenningford to rule over the planet, separate from General Tompkin.

Tompkin was enraged and sent a squadron of fighters to the planet to force the people to subdue and throw away their beliefs. Seeing the fighters as a means of an attack Grant conjured up an army of his own to combat this threat. A war soon arose, locking the Planets of Koren and Dirkset in a gruesome bloody conflict for eight years. However, since the Korenians knew the ways and the layout of their planet, they took the victory in the end, sending Tompkin's crushed army back to Dirkset.

General Tompkin did not take this defeat lightly, but he knew he could do nothing else to try to win the Korenian people to his favor and rule again. When a peace treaty and a document of independence came from Koren to the weary general he signed both, feeling heavy regret. The people of Koren finally achieved the peace they lusted for since the war started. With this notion of independence they began to industrialize, building skyscrapers and cities in record time. Steel, wood, paper, and oil became their highest used resources and it seemed Koren wouldn't run out of either of them. However, once the Korenians felled the last trees on the planet they knew they couldn't make paper or wooden structures anymore. They had to adapt to a paperless world.

Guiding them in these times was Grant Lenningford. The bulldog took a place in the people's hearts because of his bravery and his leadership skills. They erected a monument of him in the city's square as a memorial to everything they've accomplished until that point. Grant ruled over the Korenians for twenty-two years afterward, retiring as soon as he reached seventy-two years of age. He passed the leadership down to his son, Steward, who still leads Planet Koren in the present age.

Steward also proved himself as a potential leader, expressing his father's qualities and mindset. In time he created a holiday in which the people celebrate over their victory many years back and think of the future. Now, every year on the same date, the Korenians never failed to remember their independence. It caused a strong sense of nationalism to enter their spirits.

Kursed knew that tonight every bar and every apartment would flush with party, food, and warmth. Such a night would take away any attention from her and Screecher, who traveled in the shadows. The vixen felt pleased for the first time that day.

Until Screecher opened his mouth. "Perhaps Tod will celebrate with us when we get back from this mission."

"He'll give us a celebration by sending us out on the next part of the mission." Kursed held back a huff, watching the citizens come and go. The people greeted family and friends and walked with them. Cars honked as impatient people rushed to get to where they needed to go. The rapid city life of Koren sometimes made Kursed's head spin, but she felt she could get used to it. She had lived here for almost three years. Kursed knew she should start to get the ball rolling and find a place to live in the city other than the mercenary quarters.

Most of Tod's mercenaries lived in and about the city, never too far away from the Surrogate Mercenary Society building and certainly never too far away to avoid taking on a job. Two felines, both Tod's daughters, and two avians apart from Screecher, also worked for the boss. The four of them upheld rough and brash attitudes, fitting for mercenaries. Kursed sometimes wondered if she acted the same way or if she acted too whiny and subservient.

"What do you think about Kirk Lightfield anyway, birdbrain?" Kursed shot the question to Screecher and he flinched, as if surprised she'd even ask him about anything.

"I think he's as close to an absolute leader as General Tompkin had been. I believe Kirk acts more maniacal and overpowered, though. Listen, I just learned about this guy today. You think I know more about him than you do?"

"No and you probably wouldn't care if it didn't concern you or Tod."

The abandoned building rose into their vision and the faint smell of musk somehow made Kursed's hackles rise. She remembered the events of the skirmish as if they happened just seconds ago. The gunshots and blaster bullets ripping and scoring holes in the plaster walls. The sounds of the assistants and their incessant mutterings as they tried to kill Tod and Krystal. The sounds of crying from a female worker as a bullet plunged into her lower back. The rabid sounds of fighting. All of it coursed in the vixen's head and she gritted her teeth, silencing a growl.

"This place still gets to you, huh?" Screecher looked at her, noting her expression. "I can imagine, since I never joined in that fight."

"Let's not talk about it and just focus on what we have to do," Kursed said, willing the raised hairs on her fur to lie flat again. "I don't like the sound of this mission at all."

"Well well, looks like something does affect you for once," Screecher said with a laugh, eyes bright in the dark night shadows.

"Now you have to shut up, Screecher. We have to make sure no one's here with us or in the building. With your loud mouth I wouldn't feel surprised if we attracted the whole city to our attention."

"Gotcha." Screecher whistled as he took out his blaster, coking the gun and readying it to fire at will.

Kursed concentrated and sent her conscious out, checking for the presence of any enemy or person in range. She picked up the various thoughts and auras of people behind her, traveling through the street. As the pair came closer to the abandoned building an amorphous feeling slammed into her, making her eyes widen and her breath catch. It seemed as though a thousand voices at once spoke in her head, one voice the loudest of all, screaming, _SUBMIT! TURN FROM WHAT YOU KNOW!_

"Something wrong, Kursed?" Screecher raised a brow at her.

The vixen tried to shrug it off, but her mind reeled with the force of the inner voices. _Who were they?_ she thought, feeling a shiver course through her. _What did they mean by turning from what I know and submitting?  
_

"I just had a thought, that's all. There's no one around here anyway so we're free to go," she said as they reached the broken entrance of the abandoned building. A swath of ivy started to grow on the building, making Kursed paused, gazing at it. The first sight of real true greenery she had seen since leaving Corneria. A living plant, alive and in front of her, drawing her closer. She wondered if the ivy had cast a spell on her, for she began to feel a certain energy enter her, a soft voice in the back of her head speaking. _Don't hide who you truly are, Krystal._

Anger swirled in Kursed at this sentence and she felt herself growl, _I'm not Krystal! I'm Kursed! Leave me alone!_

Screecher flinched and looked at her, concern and confusion in his eyes. He looked as though he wanted to repeat his question from before.

Kursed, realizing she had screamed aloud, rubbed her temples and twitched her tail, unnerved and somewhat mortified. She shot a heated glare at the ivy. The soft voice had disappeared and her mind lay silent. Her tail soon unkinked and she shook herself, giving a sigh. _Why can't my past just leave me alone?_

"I'm fine. Let's go, Screecher." Kursed squeezed inside the building from the broken door frame, her eyes alighting on everything in sight. She still felt ruffled from those screaming voices and that soft voice that the ivy conjured. Two bombardments in one night. That wasn't a good sign to Kursed.

The inside of the abandoned building looked like any other. Dust prevalent all over the floor and destroyed woodwork and walls. A few ripped posters gleamed from the one light, a dim and flickering one, overhead. Four doorways stood, which led to dark rooms. Tod Handely's words from two years ago curled in her ear: _Four doors, one objective. Which one do you want to risk first, my vixen friend?_

"Let's go through the second door," Kursed said aloud, as if responding to Tod's question.

Screecher, who had just entered the room, holding his blaster at the ready, nodded. "All right."

The pair entered through the second doorway and a memory came to Kursed as her eyes alighted on the smooth round table in the center of the room. She remembered the four assistants who backed against the wall, eyes wide. Tod Handely entered the room first, eyes narrowed, a cold look upon his face. A screech sounded as a feline leaped from behind an overturned chair, dagger in one paw, a mad look in his eyes. Kursed shouldered Tod from the attack and used her staff to parry the blade.

Once that staff broke Kursed knew the last of her past had been destroyed, freeing her from its bonds. She felt a small smile curled her lips as she took out her blaster without hesitation and shot the feline in the throat. Tod and Kursed worked together to finish off the group of assistants who charged into the room moments after.

The memory faded and Kursed blinked to see she stood over the table, seeing two yellowed documents on the surface. She picked them up and saw the words jump to her on the first one: Planned Attack to be Launched.

The vixen scanned the document, her eyes narrowing as she read each paragraph. Screecher stood next to her and read it as well.

What Kursed could derive from the document was that Kirk manifested a plan to unleash his influence on all the Korenian and Planet Tankanese people. He had gathered a loyal group of people who had insiders on both Koren and Tankan at the same time: negotiators and entrepreneurs. Those people scoured both planets and gave insight on weaponry, the economy, and leaders. It seemed, according to the document, that Kirk Lightfield had his fair share of money and power.

She folded the paper and put it in her pocket, turning her gaze to the second one. At once a scream ripped in her brain and she tensed, her eyes widening. The same screams from before lashed at her mind, saying to submit and forget all she knew. Kursed willed her inner strength and blocked the voices, feeling an immense relief come over her as her mind quieted, the voices leaving her again. She looked down at the document and her eyes locked on one phrase: Tompkin University.

"Tompkin University?" Kursed wondered aloud, holding the paper farther back to make sure she hadn't seen things.

"One of the most prestigious schools in the galaxy," Screecher said, then he gasped and snatched the paper from her. His eyes traveled over the page and he started to speak the words he saw. "The Drastic Groups for Science received a large sum from the Tompkin University, enabling us to further our plans and start our initiatives and plan b's. Planet Koren, now vulnerable from their decreased military count since the war ended, stands as our first target.

"Planet Koren has given our leader a firm struggle for power and obedience. Once the war ended and Koren declared its independence from Dirkset other planets under Tompkin's reign began to struggle and revolt. It proved too much for the brave leader and he collapsed under the weight of debt and defeat. We soon established our group, fervent and eager to keep our leader's reign. However we needed a boss. Someone to guide us in our new enlightenment. Kirk Lightfield, an ordinary man with a vast taste for exploration and a keen sense on the issues of the galaxy stood up and took over our organization. With his reasonable ideals," here both Kursed and Screecher had to snort, "and his inspiration from our planet's leader, we have gathered strength and now feel ready to begin what we started."

"So what's this, a history of this insane group?" Kursed asked, sighing. "Did you gather anything interesting from this?"

"Don't you know what this document just said?" Screecher gave her a shocked glance. "Tompkin University was named after General Tompkin, you know, _the_ General Tompkin. The very one who unleashed the eight-year long war on our planet?"

_General Tompkin?_ The vixen gave a start as she realized what Screecher meant. _How ironic to hear his name on a night like this. What does Tompkin have to do with Kirk Lightfield and his assistants?_

"The staff in the university named the university after him and started the Drastic Groups for Science soon after. Kirk Lightfield's probably in league with General Tompkin!" The avian's eyes flew wide open at his words.

"General Tompkin died seven years ago, Screecher. Don't you remember the happy uproar right in the city?" Kursed asked, crossing her arms. "I don't think people would celebrate if the press ever revealed that the general hadn't really died."

The vixen's words rang true. The leader of Dirkset passed away to an advanced form of an unknown illness. With his death came another large celebration in Koren. With Tompkin dead the Korenians didn't have to worry about any future threats from the old general, if he ever received the incentive to declare a war again. No family members of Tompkin ever showed their faces or came into the public eye. Everyone knew when Tompkin died his legacy died with him.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Maybe Tod will have more info on this. We should get going now. I think we have enough here to get this mission going," Screecher said, looking around him.

"Why, you think this place creeps you out, birdbrain?" Kursed smirked and moved off deeper into the room. She figured Tod wouldn't feel too pleased if they brought back just two yellowed papers. He'd want everything they could find.

A strange feeling entered Kursed's brain and at first she readied herself for another assault from the screaming voices. Then she realized the feeling associated itself with a presence nearing the room. Kursed whirled around to see a shady-clad figure sneak into the room, a blaster trained to her head.

Screecher cursed and fired a bullet at the person, who ducked and fired a shot in response. Kursed dove under the table just as the bullet screamed for her and listened as it plunged into the wall harmlessly. She took out her blaster and fired at the figure, who rolled out of the way to hide behind the fallen chair.

"She's fast," Screecher said, a grunt escaping him as he dodged another bullet just in time.

"She?" Kursed arched a brow at him as she crawled somewhat closer to the fallen chair, still under the table. "Do you recognize the person?"

"You two won't survive Kirk's Plan for Annihilation!" the figure called, firing three bullets in a rapid succession. Four more people, a dog, a cat, and two wolves entered the room and Kursed wasted no time shooting at them. One of them, the feline, cried out, blood running down his leg.

Screecher blasted a shot at the chair, hearing a curse sound from behind it as the bullet thudded into the wood. The female dashed from the chair and skittered over to Kursed and Screecher under the table, Kursed now identifying her as a female fox. The two comrades looked at each other before launching themselves forward, lashing at the fox with their feet. A gasp ripped from the assailant as she tumbled back, blood spurting from her nose.

Kursed darted from under the table and shot the fox, hearing her scream and lay still. Screecher charged at the group who entered the room and bowled the injured feline over, startling the other three. With this opening Kursed fired a shot from her blaster, killing one of the wolves, while avoiding a shot from the dog.

Before Kursed could move to finish off the dog cold steel sliced into her skin, heat blazing around her inflicted wound. She knew who had sliced her without looking.

"You think you're clever, don't you," Kursed growled and kicked the vixen in the gut without turning around to acknowledge her. A smile rose to her face as she heard the muffled groan sound from the fox. The cold metal slipped out from her skin. Now Kursed whirled around and fired a bullet into her assailant's face, stilling her for good this time. With another one down Kursed turned to see how Screecher fared and saw him give the dog a swift kick in the chest, watching the foe launch and smack into the wall with a crash. The avian snorted and, after seeing the dog stay down and not stand, turned to face the wolf and cat.

"So I'm guessing Kirk sent you both here to retrieve these papers, right?" Kursed asked, waving the documents in their faces. Anger rose in the expressions of the wolf and cat.

"Sure you'll kill us both, but Kirk will destroy you and all your kind soon enough. The galaxy doesn't need traitors and scum like you unbelievers." The cat hissed and launched himself at Screecher, who sidestepped and punched him in the back. The feline yowled and fell as the avian fired a bullet and finished him. Now only the wolf remained, his eyes cold and his claws wrapped tight around his gun.

Kursed took out her dagger and raced at the wolf, who fired a bullet and missed. Screecher joined the vixen and, together, the both of them attacked the lupine.

The wolf couldn't defend himself well against two experienced opponents and he went down along with the others, letting loose one last dying gasp, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

"That's done. Now let's search the rest of this room," Kursed said, sheathing her blaster and wiping her dagger clean on her leather armor. The wound on her lower back from the fox's attack began to burn and she gritted her teeth as she walked around the table.

"Looks like one of them got you while I, alas, remain clean," Screecher said, turning his face up in mock vanity. "The Big Bad Kursed isn't as invincible as I thought."

"I don't think you want to end up like those dead guys, birdbrain. I suggest you stop boasting now," Kursed said, although a small smile pulled at her lips. Even if the avian could pluck at her patience without rest he did manage to make her feel amused, an emotion she never felt except in small cases.

Her smile faded as she came upon a dresser, its drawers broken and hanging off their hinges. Inside one of them a small book lay, its pages falling from its binding. Kursed took the book into her hands and inspected it, her nose wrinkling at the odd mold scent coming from it.

"Where did those guys come from, anyway?" Screecher asked, looking a the soiled projection screen near the back of the room. "Did Kirk send them here?"

"Who knows, but I bet they waited here for days for some idiots to break in here and snoop around." Kursed looked up from the book, meeting his gaze. "Maybe they would try to convert them."

"They sure as hell won't convert us anytime soon," Screecher said, going over to Kursed. "Now let's get going before other followers of Kirk come here and see us standing around their dead comrades."

"Fine. I still would have liked to stick around in case we find anymore documents like the ones we have. Tod would feel pleased, you know." Kursed followed Screecher as he left the room, the smooth round table looking like a dark blurb as the vixen paused to look at it one more time. She shook her head and strode ahead of the avian. Only then did she realize she had taken the strange book with her. A feeling inside her told her not to show Tod or Screecher the contents. She felt curious as the feeling stuck around with her, not fading.

"You look in deep thought, my vixen friend," Screecher said, a sly smile on his face, as they left the abandoned building, emerging once more into the city life.

Kursed looked at him, knowing that expression well. The avian felt bored now since they completed the first half of the mission and now he wanted to bust her chops.

"Since when did I say we were ever friends?" Kursed asked as they sidestepped a sewer lid, the sounds of the city entering her senses.

"I don't know, but we are."

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me, dear," Screecher said, a soft chuckle in his words.

"Don't call me dear."

"You're my 'dear' friend. You know that? A feisty vixen as a comrade, man I sure lucked out, right?"

Kursed mocked a dramatic sigh. "I know your IQ hasn't lucked out since you met me, because you seem to keep screwing up around me."

"You got sass, girl." Screecher imitated a slick tone, one that made Kursed's face twist as she held back a laugh. She had to turn her face or risk hearing the bird gloat all night about how he could finally make her laugh. Kursed remembered the first night she came into the Surrogate Mercenary Society and met Screecher, who sidled over to her and attempted to sound gruff and masculine. The first words he ever said to her were: "You don't look like you ever smile, darling. I bet one day I'll make you laugh. Then I'll feel like the happiest featherbag in the galaxy." Those words irritated Kursed so much that she couldn't remember if she punched him in the gut or if she drop-kicked him. Either way he put up with her abuse with a straight and cunning face. Kursed couldn't escape Screecher after that first day.

"Ah, don't flatter me. You always seem to do that, my 'dear friend'." The avian ducked as Kursed attempted to punch him, gritting her teeth.

"Young love, perhaps? Or maybe just plain stupidity as usual?" asked a rough voice and the two looked to see a feline, a female, standing in front of them, tapping her foot, a dark look in her amber eyes. "I don't think I should expect anything better than idiocy from you, Screecher."

"It was all Kursed's fault!" Screecher feigned a whiny expression, pointing at the vixen. "She makes me act so desperate around her! I can't cut a break every now and then?"

"Desperate, huh?" The cat raised an eyebrow, giving him a look. "From the way I see it I think you're asking for trouble each time my father pairs you with Kursed." Then her eyes flashed and she crossed her arms, assuming an authoritative poise. "Now what took you two so long? My father sent me out to find you two slackers. How can you expect to rise in rank when you act like a bunch of lazy bums?"

"I don't know, Scara, especially when your father forces Screecher to assist me. I'm not even sure how I get anything done." Kursed rolled her eyes. "While we investigated the building we happened upon five strangers on Kirk's side. They attacked us, which explains why we're late in getting back here."

"Well hurry along and report your findings. You know my father has no patience for anyone."

"Oh please, Tod would fall to his knees and worship Kursed even if she kept him waiting for five years. She's his favorite after all." Screecher snorted and walked ahead, making Kursed and Scara follow.

"I'm glad I don't have to put up with him," Scara said in an undertone and Kursed sighed.

"Anyone should feel glad. I'm doing you other mercenaries a favor."

Once the three of them entered the dim alleyway Kursed had the creeping sensation that this mission would only get worse. The words of the fox before she died and the other members of the group entered her mind. _Kirk's Plan for Annihilation? Could that mean his idea of a genocide? _Kursed looked at the book in her paws and had the feeling that it held all the answers for her. She made a note to read it later on after Screecher and the rest of the company fell asleep. She would not show it to Tod or anyone else.


	4. Turning Gears

Diamond in the Rough

**Disclaimer: Feel free to quote all I said in the first few disclaimers.**

Chapter Three: Turning Gears

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"How did it turn out, Kursed?" Tod asked as soon as the vixen, Screecher, and Scara entered his quarters. Scara went to stand by her father's desk, giving the avian and Kursed a strict eye.

"Well, Tod, we went to the building and found these two documents, both of which I think you'll find interesting." Kursed handed him the papers from her armor pocket while he gave them a scrutinizing eye. "That's all we could find before a few of Kirk's cronies decided to attack us."

"So a few of Kirk's representatives did linger behind," Tod Handely said, as if in deep thought. He transferred his amber eyes to Kursed's face and gave her a small nod, a smile on his face. With that done he gazed at the papers, reading them.

Screecher yawned, covering his mouth with a wing, and rolled his eyes at Kursed's admonishing stare.

Kursed could feel the weight of the little book in her back pocket, cajoling her to take it out and read it while she waited. The temptation to feel the book's pages and read whatever information lay inside tickled her nerves. _Later, _she thought, as if to comfort the book. _Once Tod gives me and Screecher the next part of the mission and leaves us alone._ She began to wonder why such a book would draw her, unless it had something to do with her roots. At this notion she tensed, millions of thoughts coursing through her. _What if Kirk had been to Cerinia? He was an explorer before he became insane. Maybe he visited my home planet before it became destroyed. Maybe he had written about my planet in this very book!_

"Hm...very interesting," Tod said, his voice breaking Kursed's thoughts. "I see you both gathered up some valuable information for me. Both the history and the ideals of Kirk's organization shed a light on Kirk's true intentions. Wonderful job, you two."

Kursed met her feline boss's eyes and saw a shadow in them, one only she could see. It irked her as the shadow lengthened, and her tail puffed somewhat. Tod doubted something, Kursed could tell right off the bat, but what? Did he doubt their abilities, or did he doubt the intricacy of this mission?

"So what's the next part of this quest to beat up Kirk Lightfield, Tod?" Screcher asked, shifting from foot to foot. He crossed his arms as Scara shot him a look.

"Why rush, my competent mercenaries?" The feline's voice grew silky again as the shadow in his eye disappeared. "I'd imagine Kirk sent a few of his assistants back to Koren to retrieve this information in order to fulfill their plans. Now, since we have these documents, we can't waste anymore time with this mission and with Kirk. I want the both of you to head out to Planet Tankan as soon as you can."

"All right! Now this mission gets interesting!" Screecher said, punching a fist in the air. "Let's get going already, Kursed."

"Relax, Screecher. We still need to fuel our jet fighters and get them ready," Kursed said. "We just can't jet off to Planet Tankan without an initiative either. We have to decide what we'll do as soon as we get there. You want to just go there and walk into a death trap? Most likely Kirk Lightfield's on the lookout for people like us."

"Correct," Tod said with a pleased nod.

"I'm glad to see someone uses their brain," Scara said, the contempt in her voice aimed at Screecher.

"Hey, I take offense to that, Scara," the avian said, putting his wings up in a submissive gesture.

"I want the both of you to gather your supplies, reload your weapons and meet me in the loading garage later," Tod said, folding his paws. "You're heading to a planet you've never been to before. I'll provide you a map of the planet as soon as I can find it. Now what I can remember about the planet is its rocky landscape and sparse villages. The people also feel very cautious about strangers, but maybe they've changed since then."

"You've went to Tankan before, boss?" Screecher asked, curious now.

"Yes, back when I too was a mercenary just like you, I traveled all over the known solar systems of the galaxy, wanting to prove to my boss that I was knowledgeable. I wanted him to know he could depend on me to know about any mission. I remember I stayed at one of the villages in Tankan and mapped out the whole area. This was before technology became as revamped and as dependable as it has today. The fighters weren't the same models as they are today either. They were primitive and they had to be refueled after every hour." Tod shook his head. "I'd imagine Tankan has changed with drastic measures since I've last stumbled upon that planet. Perhaps the map I'll give you won't pose as any sort of help, but it may help with a few things."

"Fine," Kursed said. "We'll get ready now, Tod. Let's go, Screecher."

"Roger!" The avian gave her a salute, leaving Tod's room.

"Good luck," Scara said, making Kursed stop in her tracks. The rigid cold feline had just wished her good luck? Tod's daughter having the capability to feel careful? Kursed could remember the first day she met Scara. Tod's daughter had stood in front of the Mercenary Quarter's door, her eyes glaring, seeing straight into Kursed. "_Heh, you're new, I can tell," _Scara had said with a slow blink. "_I've never seen a vixen apply for mercenary work before. I guess I haven't lived long enough yet. I know most vixens are conservative and not prone to lash out for anything."_ Those words had incensed Kursed and she recalled shoving past the feline to open the door, right into Screecher's smug and smooth face. Since that day Kursed and Scara became tense allies, since they both barely tolerated Screecher's teasing and jocular attitude. Otherwise they both skirted each other and refused to work with one another. Now it seemed that the feline might have opened up to Kursed?

The surprise must have shown on Kursed's face, for Scara's expression melted into irritation. "I meant with Screecher, Kursed."

_Of course, _Kursed thought, rolling her eyes after turning her back and walking out of the room. _I'll need a lot of luck to survive another mission with Screecher. _

Kursed headed to the weapons closet, taking out more ammunition and reloading her gun. After hearing the three clicks from her blaster she sheathed it and walked down the hall. The heaviness of the book called to her again and this time she wasted no time trying to quell the feeling. She whipped the book out and felt its cover, the old pages crinkling under her soft grip, the spine creaking as she opened it to an undesired page. There, in the middle paragraph on the right side, the phrase "couldn't take the rigidity anymore." made her cock her head. At once she knew this book was a journal, Kirk Lightfield's journal to be more specific.

Intrigued, she flipped to the very first page and saw the dateline, "May 2008" Her eyes moved lower down and there, the neat handwriting of Kirk Lightfield leaped to her vision:

_Exploring takes much out of you. It shows you a world and a place in which you've never traversed. It's a destiny and a monstrosity, which consumes all willpower and puts curiosity in its place. Exploration befalls the bright and the healthy. It befalls all and leaves no reprieve in its grasp. Once I saw that first star blinking high above me long ago I knew I had to leave. I had to see everything and document it in the small brain I had. Children, always curious. Me? I wasn't an exception either. I feel, looking back now, that my curiosity felt like it bombarded me at a tenfold. It still does._

_ Never would I imagine how exploration and the binds that come with it would constrict me and warp my future. Who alone can understand an ideal without further research into it? It makes a flush come over me like a sudden heatwave. It gets my brain going, eager to see the worlds and planets around me. It inspired and still inspires me to make a name for myself as an explorer, no matter how unrecognized my name is. Who would expect great things from a little tyke like me back in the past? I had the gall to take to the stars, not caring about my parent's complaints, and leave behind a world of innocence and play. _

_ What right did I have to fly a starfighter at my young age? I defied all the rules and taught myself the breakdown of flying from books and media. I consider myself a mature flier and, to see those other students at schools weave their planes in the air like acrobats makes my tail puff and my nose wrinkle. They should pay respects to me, considering I learned to fly without any help except from my persistence. Then again, how would they know me if I haven't done anything to make me renowned yet?_

Kursed felt a small pressure on her and she looked up to see Screecher staring at her, surprised and amused.

"Who would have thought the "always prompt Kursed" would stop at any point to read a book? Since when do you read, my vixen friend?" he asked, coming closer to her.

"I do read. However, because I work here now, I can't find the time. Since I know you always take your time, birdbrain, I decided to read a few snippets of this book."

"I'm impressed." Screecher came closer, a chuckle bursting from his beak. "I would feel more so but books just bore the hell outta me. Now let's go. The jet fighters await us."

Kursed went into the mercenary quarters and placed her book under her pillow, giving it a lingering look. It still reached out to her, even now. Then, on a last thought, she grabbed the book again and placed it in her pocket, making sure no one had seen her. _Later on, if I have time, I'll continue to read._

As she exited the room she couldn't help feeling more cautious than usual. She even shot Screecher a few sharp glances, as if expecting him to point out that he spied the book's bulge in her pocket.

As they ascended the stairs to the loading garage Kursed began to think about the last time she flew Cloudrunner, her plane. She hadn't set foot off Planet Koren since she arrived on it two years ago, alert to every danger and expecting disapproval. Thankfully the Korenians had not caught wind of her betrayal to Starfox and they treated her like any other citizen. Now she would head off the planet that acted like a safety blanket and head to another one. A feeling stirred in her, one of longing. She wanted to find a place where she fit in, a place she could trust to sustain her. She gave Koren credit but she still felt out-of-place. She felt like a stranger.

The stairwell smelled of must, making Kursed's nostrils flare as she and Screecher ascended. They could have used the elevator but the vixen figured, since they only needed to climb four flights of stairs, there was no need to do so. She didn't want to have to face that rickety elevator either. Sure she flew in her Arwing but flying felt much smoother to her than ascending in a small electronic-powered cubicle. She knew that elevator had existed before the Surrogate Mercenary Society made their home in this abandoned apartment space. No wonder the thing sometimes gave out no matter who stood inside it.

The night air whistled as Screecher opened the door to the garage. They stood on a long runway and heard the sound of the engines of the planes turn on. A fox by the name of Gregers waved and bounded over to them, excited as always. The red-furred fox worked on the starfighters for the mercenaries and made sure they worked without issues. A mechanic, many labeled him as. Gregers and Tod had a bond that stretched time and space. Both the feline and the fox met nine years ago during a small war called the Chirings War. Tod's jet had a missing tail-wing and he couldn't fight without it. Gregers gave the confidentiality that he'd fix it in a rapid stead. Tod felt skeptical, but the fox fixed the plane just ten minutes later. Tod even helped win the war due to his coming in the fight at the right time. From this repair and victory the two became close and dependent friends, always around for each other.

"You both ready to board?" Gregers asked, his eyes dancing.

Both Kursed and Screecher nodded just as they head the door behind them open, revealing Tod Handely. He winked at Kursed.

"Here's the map, you two. I'd advise you to keep it, Kursed. I don't want this to get lost," he said and the vixen nodded, taking it from him.

"You don't trust me, boss?" Screecher asked, mocking a hurt tone in his voice.

"I guess not, if he's giving me things to safeguard instead of you," Kursed said with a snort. She headed to her Arwing, hearing its motor purr like a happy kitten. As soon as she got into her plane's cockpit Screecher entered his own, giving her a thumbs up. She returned the gesture, rolling her eyes, and shut her door.

Memories began to bombard her as soon as she sat in the leather seat. She remembered flying through the galaxy, her gaze intent, her heart set on finding a place to settle. She remembered the dark chasm in her heart, the pain that radiated through her from the Cornerian people's anger. She remembered their looks, the hostility, that caused her to leave, unable to tolerate it. Even now the memories still felt raw to her and she cringed, feeling her head pound. She wondered how such an event could still plague her no matter what she did or where she went. Why did it matter if those Cornerians hated her? Why should it affect her?

"Earth to Kursed! You ready to go or not?" Screecher's voice came in from her Arwing's communicator. The vixen flinched at the loud sound and nodded.

"Yeah." She changed the gears and activated her missiles. In case they ran into any trouble Kursed knew she would have some ammunition ready for protection. She sat back in the seat as she fired her Arwing's acceleration, the familiar feeling of gathering speed before lift off entering her. Again and again her memories tried to shove their way into her mind but she forced them back, wanting to focus on the mission at hand. She could deal with her troubles later. For now this mission deserved all its attention.

She waved at Tod as the Cloudrunner lifted from the runway, gaining speed and altitude. Screecher's jet fighter soon flew next to hers as the comrades left Koren's atmosphere.

"I wonder what we'll find on Planet Tankan, Kursed," the avian said, sounding inquisitive. "Perhaps those villages Tod mentioned won't exist anymore."

"Maybe. Remember, Tod did say he last visited Tankan when he was younger. Only we'll know what Tankan looks like now."

They fell silent as the stars of the galaxy entered their vision. Kursed felt alone each time she looked at the stars. They gave her a sort of dejected feeling, as if they hoped to see her fail. She shook that thought away, blaming her pessimism for her dour mood, and steered her Arwing to the left, avoiding a small rock-shaped particle in her flight path. She knew this solar system had active asteroids in them. Most of the time they burned up before they ever hit a planet's surface. Kursed just didn't want her plane to malfunction, should she impact a rock. In unfamiliar territory she wanted to be prepared and ready. She didn't want to give the impression of carelessness to anyone, especially not to Screecher. The avian always looked for something to tease or taunt her with.

Coming closer and closer in her vision she saw a small planet head her way. She eased up somewhat on her acceleration, knowing her destination drew near. Screecher did the same, his star fighter a bit ahead of hers.

Tankan had an orange-ringed hue that shone in Kursed's eyes. It stood out from Planet Koren without a doubt, since Koren had a dull greenish-gray colored lanscape. The vixen narrowed her eyes and let her conscious reach out all around her and the upcoming planet, searching for anything wrong or posing as a threat. Nothing touched at her senses. Kursed felt encouraged by this and pulled back her throttle, slowing her speed.

"Attention, Tankanese people. You're now being raided. Stay calm and let us do our job and we'll leave in peace," Screecher said, making Kursed shake her head with a sigh.

"First of all, they can't hear you, and second of all I don't think they'd follow your advice. They'd shoot you down sooner than you could blink, Screecher."

"Must you always put a downer attitude on everything I do? Gosh, woman!" The avian huffed and Kursed smiled, feeling triumphant.

As they descended into the semi-cloudy atmosphere of Tankan a strange feeling spread through her veins, putting her on her guard. She didn't know what to expect or who. The feeling continued and Kursed looked to her left seeing a petrified tree, its black branches reaching for her. She heard the sounds of nature in her ears ad she gasped as the environment changed to a grassy plain, birds of all kinds and people frolicked with glee. No cities existed and the sky shone. Trees of all kinds rustled in the benign wind that blew, making Kursed grimace. The she turned to see the sun and saw its brightness. It seemed to peel back her layers and expose her darkness.

Kursed flinched in her seat and, at once, the vision faded and the dull rocky landscape of Tankan entered her vision. No trees existed, no grass, no animals. A parched land with no nature. She looked at the petrified tree and saw it had disappeared behind her as she descended. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy to regain her sanity again.

The morning sun rose in her vision as they landed a few miles away from a city, the solar body's light reflecting off the metal buildings and gravel roadways.

"It always interests me to see that it can be morning on another planet and nighttime back on ours. How does that work?"

"A planet's rotation determines how many hours are in a day. Planet Tankan must have a shorter rotation period than Koren. It doesn't matter if the planet's large or small. In two hours this place might experience the afternoon. Who knows? I know we both have never come here before. It's new for the both of us."

"Check it out, Kursed. Look's like you paid attention in school. I know I didn't. At least I know you will help explain everything to me, if I ask for help."

"Don't even think about it. I refuse to spoon feed you definitions and explanations. Now let's hurry up and get to where we have to."

"So what do we have to do?" Screecher asked as they left their starfighters, the dry air buffeting them. "Just go around looking for Kirk Lightfield?"

"We could do that, or we could ask where the Tompkin University is on this planet. That's where those two documents came from anyway."

"Gee, you'd think Tod would tell us what to do. No, instead he lets us try to figure it out by ourselves." Screecher scuffed a foot on the ground.

"That doesn't sound as bad as you make it. He wants us to create initiatives and precautions by ourselves. We're adults, not puppets. he wants us to figure things out sometimes."

"Right. Then why don't we go looking for the Tompkin University? Perhaps that city up ahead has some ideas on its location."

Kursed didn't wait for Screecher. She started to walk on her own, making the avian cry out and dash to catch up to her. The vixen sometimes wondered if Tod Handely could tolerate Screecher's idiocy and dull mind. Perhaps that's why he always forced the bird to travel with her, so he wouldn't have to deal with him. The thought made Kursed feel annoyed and she hoped this mission would end without any trouble.

* * *

**A/N: Personally I feel this chapter is one of the weaker ones, but let me know what you think, as always. :)**


	5. Pain's the New Game

Diamond in the Rough

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pain. He is Razorblade88's OC. **

Chapter Four: Pain's the New Game

* * *

Another bottle, another guzzle. He laid his glass on the table, wiped his lips with the back of his paw and reclined in his chair. The subdued nature of the tavern didn't startle him. He knew sooner than later the rowdy sounds of late comers would enter the atmosphere. That's when he left the scene. It grew too noisy to listen to the inner voices in his head. He shook his head and swallowed another gulp of ale, feeling his head clear somewhat. His gray tail twitched as he felt the presence of someone behind him. He turned around as a hand clamped onto his shoulder.

"Look who's wastin' away his life in a bar. Michael Paineman, what a surprise." A brash voice sounded.

"Telron, what do you want now? I told you my name's Pain. Michael Paineman died a long time ago," Pain said, his hackles rising.

Telron, a slow talking bulldog, always seemed to have loose values in life. His jowls hung when he grew excited and his dull brown eyes gleamed with the prospect of women or fame. The dog's stout muscular body proved as a way to get a bed for the night, considering he couldn't pay his own insurance to keep a home. Telron always kept a blaster trained at his side, a tradition the Cornerian Rangers always upheld. Pain and Telron met each other after registration day, the bulldog had signed up just to get profit and recognition while Pain signed up for power and strength. He had hoped the elite Cornerian Special Force team would help him get rid of his suffering.

"Well don't get yer fur in a knot. Can't a friend say hello?" Telron slid into the chair in front of Pain, a grin on his face.

"Not if they don't have a reason for it."

"Ah, loosen up, Pain. You're still young. You got yer whole life ahead of ya," Telron said, giving Pain a brotherly smack on the back.

Pain growled as the momentum made the drink in his paw spill. "I won't rest until she's dead."

"Who, that wench you've tailed for how long now?" Telron rolled his eyes. "I would have given up a long time ago, buddy. She's gone for good, maybe she's even dead."

"No. I know Kursed still lives. When I find her I'm going to make her experience agony far worse than mine." Pain's fist clenched and he stood. Whenever he spoke about the vixen he felt every part of him get riled up. He knew he shouldn't let her get to him, but he enjoyed the thought of her blood splattering the floor. He wanted his vendetta fulfilled.

"Boy you're obsessed, and here I thought she was just some woman ya screwed," Telron said, snatching Pain's drink from his paw and guzzling its contents. "Thanks, needed that after a rough day."

"Look I can't do this while you're here." Pain pushed his chair aside and stormed from the bar.

"Oh come on, Pain. Why must ya always do this to me? I'm here tryin' to have a conversation and all ya wanna do's just walk out on me." Telron followed Pain out the tavern.

"Because you annoy me. Our Ranger days have ended. They're over, you hear me Telron? I know what you're here for, anyway. You're coming to me because you want more money, right?" Pain whirled on the bulldog, advancing over to him. He let his fur puff, just to show Telron he meant every word he said.

"Naw, I think the day's are just beginnin'," Telron said, showing no signs of intimidation. "Look here, I just think you need a woman to warm yer bed for the night, how about that?"

"You make me sick." Pain slammed open the door to the bar and left, feeling disgusted. He couldn't deal with the dog anymore. All Telron wanted to do, now that the high officers gave him a break, was scour Planet Kew for something to sate his sexual lust.

"By the way, I don't need money. I just happened upon this bar, hoping to score a drink, and I saw ya sittin' there all alone. Why can't ya just give up this crazy dream of yers and focus on livin'?" Telron still followed Pain.

"Because Kursed murdered my wife and daughter! Just when I started to find happiness again she had to come over and mess everything up for me!" Pain felt himself explode. Had he not held himself back he would have grabbed Telron by his slathering jowls. A heat swirled in his head and he began to see red.

"See here, I know you had a rough life but don't you think you should..." The bulldog's sentence trailed as Pain came over and smashed a fist into his face.

Pain took a deep breath as he heard Telron groan, sprawled on the ground. Already a small crowd of people began to rush over, intrigued by the potential action.

"Nothing to see here, folks," Pain said, waving them off. The crowd hesitated, waiting to see more fighting, before grumbling and leaving the scene. Pain left his comrade and continued to walk, needing fresh air and lots of open space. He knew he had to rein in all his feelings. Pain wanted to unleash all his sadness, horror, fury, and suffering on Kursed. Once he killed her his life's meaning would soon come to him. For now he had to be persistent and diligent.

Pain remembered his wife's shining face, the way her eyes would light when he'd return home after a long day. His daughter would soon come bounding over to him, a bubbling happy mass of a four year old. Aurora, his precious daughter. So innocent, so caring, up until her death. He had walked into his home to see Aurora lay inert on the floor and his wife in her death throes. The room's furniture and antiques lay about the floor, blood seeping into the carpet. Pain remembered his frantic dash first to his daughter, then to his wife, whose body began to still. She looked at him and, with her last breath, told Pain what happened and who had done the destruction: a person named Kursed.

He didn't go to their funeral. He couldn't bring himself to see his wife and daughter, their bodies still intact, their eyes closed, their hearts stopped. Pain had to get out, to leave and find some way to cope without happiness. He stole into his fighter and flew into space, wanting silence. He flew fast and far, seeing planets zoom past him. As his mind turned over his wife's and his daughter's death he thought of the person Kursed, who had murdered his family without any reprieve. An anger surged in him and when he flew back to his home planet, Planet Kew. He knew what he had to do. He quit being a Ranger, going from authority to authority, trying to figure out the mystery of this so called person named Kursed.

One day he stumbled upon a former bounty hunter who knew Kursed. Pain couldn't mask his shock to find Kursed was a woman, more or less a vixen. It sounded borderline like a fantasy. How could a vixen find any initiative to kill anyone? The vixens Pain knew seemed conservative, wanting to keep to themselves, but not afraid to make friends and act social. It confused him all the more. When the bounty hunter continued and told about how Kursed originally came from the planet Corneria Pain felt even more curious. He jetted off to Corneria after getting more information from the bounty hunter, expecting to find Kursed there. He felt disappointed when the civilians told him they didn't know a 'Kursed' and gave him strange looks.

Since that day Pain found himself in a rut, the mission to find Kursed spiraling in his heart and sanity. He dreamed at night of his daughter and wife coming back to life and he dreamed of Kursed falling at his feet, dead, her devilry ended. He scoured Kew for any other information he might find on the vixen, but to no avail. He was stuck in a dead end, one he didn't know how to get out of. Not even his former Ranger comrades could provide anything useful to help him.

Years had passed since he first set out to find Kursed and the other attempts he made ended in failure. A slow insanity took him over, a desire for revenge. All his life he knew nothing but torment. Pain remembered his abusive uncle, who threatened to kill him if he ever told anyone of the torture he put him through. That alone spurred him to join the Rangers and for five years he learned the skills he'd use today to find the vixen.

His memories faded and his focus returned. Pain looked to see he flew in the Lylat System. Odd, he never intended to go this way. He just wanted to get away from Telron. He descended on to Corneria and headed to the planet's major city, now called Minkan. The early afternoon sun shone in his eyes as he parked his starfighter on the city's loading garage, watching a small toad bound over to him.

"Who are you, sir?" the toad asked and Pain flashed him a registration card for the Rangers as he exited his fighter. Even if he wasn't a part of the elite fighting force he still used his card to get to places. It let Pain do what he wanted without any trouble. Security never took a closer look at the card anyway. Once they saw the Ranger seal they backed off and let him go,

"Oh, sorry to waste your time. On your way." The toad nodded and prepared to turn around, but Pain stopped him.

"By the way, would you happen to know of a vixen named Kursed?" he asked and the amphibian shrugged.

"Not to my knowledge. I'm sorry."

"Well then would you know of a person who could help me? I have to find Kursed and apprehend her," Pain said and the toad looked deep in thought.

"Hm...I do know a person who could help you. I mean I'm not sure why you're asking for help. You do have your other Ranger comrades to help you, right?"

"They don't care. I decided to take this on by myself. I just need more clues to find Kursed. Who's the person you know?"

"I'll take you to him. He's my best friend, actually. If anything I'd say he might know about that vixen you're searching for. Come with me." The toad began to walk, leaving Pain to follow behind.

_Good, perhaps then I can get some answers or at least some help. Maybe this toad's friend could help me, _Pain thought as he caught up to the toad. He breathed in the air, smelling the fresh scent of the environment-conscious city. It sometimes startled him to see such greenery thrive among civilization. He grew up seeing metal and steel buildings jutting from the ground. Planet Corneria seemed to have a certain charm to it. It made Pain wonder how such a cold-blooded vixen could have lived here. The dogs, cats, reptiles, avians, foxes, and amphibians had such open faces and none of them held any contempt or hatred. _What a peaceful planet._

"What about the loading garage? Who will watch it in your place?" Pain asked, giving the toad an eye.

"My father will. He's usually outside by now anyway. I just covered for him while he went to have lunch," the amphibian said. "My friend doesn't live too far from the garage anyway." He stepped into a glass elevator, Pain taking in the sights.

The toad pushed a button for the lobby floor and the elevator descended with a faint hiss sound. Once they reached the designated floor, he asked, "How long have you been a Ranger for, sir?"

"So far, five years," Pain said as they exited the building into the sunshine.. He hadn't lied. Before he quit he had been a Ranger for five years.

"I guess nothing exciting happens much."

"You got that right. Since the wars ended years ago we Rangers just laze about and talk nonsense to each other. Sometimes makes me wish something drastic would happen. Something to put us to work again.

The toad nodded his head while Pain spoke. Cars blared as they zoomed overhead on overpasses. Trees and other types of foliage flourished under it, undisturbed by the sidewalks and the passing civilians. Pain noticed the architecture of the city embraced nature and made way for it. Every plant looked authentic and natural. _The way nature should look, _he thought.

"Do you see that apartment coming up on the left?" the toad asked and Pain nodded. "That's where my friend lives. You don't mind if I return back to the loading garage, right? I don't want my dad to get worried."

"Go right ahead. You didn't have to escort me at all. Ii could have found my way," Pain said, waving the amphibian on his way.

"Thanks, sir. It's the apartment building with the blue glass, you can't miss it. My friend's on the fourth floor, third room on the right." The toad walked back and Pain hustled, wanting to get to this friend before he missed him. _Come to think about it, why did the toad act so vague about his friend anyway? Who is this friend? What is he? I guess I'll find out sooner than later. _He headed to the apartment and entered it, seeing an elevator boy, a feline, stand in front of him.

"Where to, mister?" he asked.

"Fourth floor. I have a friend I have to meet." The lie whipped from his mouth before he could hold it back.

"All right. Right this way," the feline said as the elevator doors behind him opened. Pain stepped inside them and the cat pressed a button. The rising hum of the elevator sounded in Pain's ears.

"This your first time in Corneria?" the elevator boy asked and Pain shook his head.

"No. I've lived here for a couple of years. I know my way around."

"The reason I asked is because we've received a large influx of people over the past four years. Possibly, since the wars ended, others decided to come here and live."

"Yeah." Pain stepped out of the elevator when it reached the fourth floor, his eyes scanning the hallway. The blue carpeting seemed to match the building as he walked. Plants of all types lined the way and some let off soothing smells. He kept his focus on finding the friend. _Third room on the left. Third room. _He knocked on the door and heard a "Just a moment!" come from the other end. Pain waited, resisting the urge to tap his foot.

The door opened and Pain flinched, startled from his pressing thoughts. He looked into the green eyes of a brown-furred fox with a while blaze running from the top of his head to his nose. If Pain looked closer he could see a slight bit of sadness in the fox's eyes. It intrigued him.

"Who are you?" the vulpine asked, giving him a wary eye.

"My name's Michael Paineman, Pain for short. One of your friends recommended that you could help me." Pain held out his paw for a shake.

"I'm Fox McCloud." The fox took his paw and gave it a firm formal shake. "I'm not sure if I know you."

"You don't. I just have some things I want to ask you about. I promise not to waste your time, Fox."

"Fine. Come in then," Fox said, letting Pain past the door.

Pain looked about the apartment suite, seeing it looked tidy and small. Perfect_ for a person living alone. _A small television set sounded from the corner of the room, showing the recent news from other planets. The window, open, let in the breeze and sunlight, making the room smell fresh.

"So what do you need from me?" Fox asked, taking a seat on his bed. He still looked wary.

"You're Fox McCloud, the hero of the Lylat Wars and the war against Andross, correct?" Pain asked to start off the conversation.

The fox nodded. "Yes." A shadow flashed in his eyes, one that Pain didn't miss. He gathered something had happened to Fox during one of those wars.

"I'd like to know if you've heard of a vixen named Kursed," Pain asked and he watched as Fox's eyes flickered somewhat at the word 'vixen'.

"No. I, one time, knew a vixen and fought by her side but I don't know anyone named Kursed, I'm sorry."

"Then I'll ask you this. Would you feel willing to help me find Kursed? She has caused my life misery and I've lived in hell for years since she murdered my family. I want to fulfill my vendetta against her and I think you can help me with that, granted you accept my proposal.

"Where is Kursed now?"

"That's what I've tried to figure out. I need someone who has resources and knowledge of the galaxy. I need a person who can help me with my mission." Pain started to feel impatient. He didn't expect full acceptance from Fox. He knew he spoke to one of Corneria's venerated heroes. Pain just wanted to get the ball rolling with the mission and with killing Kursed. He didn't want to make this an all day affair if Fox wanted to act indecisive.

"So one of my friends told you to speak with me," Fox said, although it wasn't a question.

"Yes. You have to give me an answer now because I can't keep holding off this mission. I must complete it. I can tell you have a good judge of character, Fox, and I can tell you're smart. Don't you feel bored of lazing around in this apartment with nothing to do?" Pain knew he sounded desperate to persuade, but he felt Fox could really help him for the better.

Fox McCloud sat for a moment, forehead creased in deep thought.

"All right, how about this? You meet me at the Graceful Feline Tavern at seven 'o clock sharp. That should give you enough time to come up with a decision. I know I haven't explained a lot about my plea, but I'll tell you everything if you accept my mission," Pain said after a moment of silence.

Fox's eyebrow quirked and he stood.

"I've never had someone come to me in person and ask for help in years. To tell the truth I don't know what to say. I'll meet you at the tavern at seven and I'll tell you my answer then. I just need some time to let your information sink into my head."

"Do whatever, but make sure you meet up with me. I'll be waiting," Pain said and left the apartment, not caring if he slammed the door.

* * *

**A/N: All right. Here's Chapter Four. Let me know what you think and leave a review if you want. Razorblade88 I want you to let me know whether I portrayed your character the way you wanted. **

**I fixed all the errors about the Arwings and whatnot in my previous chapters so everything's good again with this story. However, if anything seems off just let me know, all right? :)**

**Again, since I'm writing another novel, I may be able to update this story once a week. It all depends on my schedule. I'm sorry if I sound like a downer or something, but I haven't found much free time for fanfiction writing. I can only get some things done at a time. I believe it's getting better for me, but I will have to set a few things aside to get this story done. Thanks for reading, regardless. :)**


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